Stealth Part 4
by Wayne7793
Summary: The continuing adventures of Stealth. His new sidekick finds more answers and may find her true love.


**CHAPTER XV**

6 months later, David and Inara were settling things with past bill collectors, sorting through police photos and handling miscellaneous affairs when David found Inara sitting in the corner, sighing. She was near tears for no apparent reason, "What's wrong, my friend?" David asked. Felicia padded in, just as concerned, "I sense she is missing someone, or needs someone more than a friend…" David looked at the black panther with a twinge of guilt and compassion, "Well, we have further adventures to deal with, if you want to tag along. Cheer up, my friend, we'll find out what's wrong with you and maybe someone for you." Inara stopped sobbing and smiled, "You think…?"

Felicia put a huge furry paw on her lap and hugs were passed around. David looked at Inara, "Do you need martial arts training, maybe more advanced training?" Inara looked down, embarrassed, "I'm afraid so, that last fucker got me good, I feel so clumsy sometimes!" David put a hand on her shoulder, "Look, don't be jealous of what Stealth can do, he's on our side, you HAVE to remember that!" Inara looked up and smiled, "I know…"

David blushed a bit, "You want to hear something funny?" Inara nodded, "Sure.." David whispered in her ear, "I was afraid of losing my parents, then afraid of losing all my friends. I understand you better than you understand yourself. If you think you're a freak, join the club. I'm more of a freak than YOU'LL ever be, ok?" Inara giggled, "Really?" David nodded, "Would I lie to my best friend?"

CHAPTER XVI

The next week, Inara and Stealth met in their backyard, sheltered for now, safe for now. Stealth brought out his sword of justice, Talembar, "Now, I need you to assume a standard pose, but ready, ok?" Inara nodded and spread her legs slightly, "Like this?" Stealth nodded, "Perfect!" He came at her at lightning speed and Inara closed her eyes, then slowly opened them to find a razor blade edge mere inches from her eye, "You have to protect yourself, my dear, your enemies will NOT stop until you're dead, remember that!" Inara gulped, "I wish that there were not so many evil people in the world.."

She resumed her stance and Stealth slowed down his attack, assuming various forms of Kuwu Kata, Nunti, Tonfa sparring, sword defense moves, and many more as Inara felt her strength and courage build over time. She eagerly attacked Stealth and was blocked more often than not. Her determination was a key role in how she kept up her strength, even when she longed for a lover. Felicia marked many rounds, and pointed out mistakes she made, and Inara learned a lot!

Later, Inara sat and pondered, wondering if she could capture more elaborate moves in her art, "Did you know I was an artist?" She asked David as he finished showering, "No, I didn't, are you pretty good?" Inara blushed, "Not really…" David tilted his head, "Really, I'd like see some of your art." Inara clucked, "No, you don't, it's awful. David lightly punched her arm, "Race you to the kitchen!" Inara giggled, "You're on!" and they raced down the hall, David sliding past the kitchen doorway, hitting the end of the hall with a yelp. Inara knelt over him, "You ok?" David winked, "I will be as soon as I see some of your art." Inara smiled, "Oh, ok, I'll show you some, but you'll think it's lame…"

Later, after a quick snack, David saw a few more pieces, "Well, your earlier stuff is crude, kind of like child book illustrations.." Inara pouted, "But… I admit, you're getting much better!" Inara smiled, "You think so?" She hugged him, "Thank you! This art means a lot to me…" David whispered in her ear, "Want a neat piece to sketch?" Inara blinked, "What?" David gestured with his finger, "Follow me…"

The two went out and Felicia changed into the futuristic Lambo, "Now close you eyes, don't peek!" Inara did so, "What is so damn important I can't even see it?" David didn't say a word, but drove way outside of town, towards a sea bluff. He then slowly held her hand and led her out to the edge of the bluff. He handed her a pad of paper and pencil. She bit her lip, "Can I open my eyes now?" He tugged her arm, "Any time!"

Inara opened her pretty eyes and was blown away by a huge black dragon standing mere feet in front of her! "Holy shit!" She almost fell over the ledge and David grabbed her arm, "You're not getting away that easy! Come on, let me introduce you to Felicia 2.0!" Inara could not stop looking at this fierce dragon, with green hellfire eyes, "This is Felicia? Wow, and I thought she couldn't shape-change this large!" David patted the huge dragons snout, "Well, remember those old Star Wars Clone battle cruisers?" Inara squealed "Hell yea, I fell in love with the Jedi and the clone troopers from that old show! I hope to meet my clone trooper someday!" She swooned a bit, but a friendly blast of hellfire woke her up, "Stop daydreaming, silly! You got some art to make! Yeah, Felicia can shape-change into anything down to the size of a panther or woman, and up to the size of a large republic battleship, but she loses about 1-2% of her strength and integrity and who needs to give those slight odds to an enemy?"

Inara laughed, "True that! Yeah, let me get my head together. Felicia, my darling art subject, show me the fiercest look you can muster!" Soon, Felicia was belching 10,000 degree plus fire safely into the sky. Inara was a little puzzled after making a new sketch, "How is she able to make the atmosphere bend like that?" Inara pointed at the odd effect in the sky, the hellfire reaching nearly into orbit. David winked, "Oh, didn't you know, Felicia here is powered by a green g-type star?" Inara chuckled, "You're shitting me right? Come on, a star is fucking HUGE!" David smiled, "You ever kissed the sun? I mean for real?" Inara sat down, stunned, "… so, you're telling me she has the power of a sun running her?" This took a bit and David thought Inara was going into shock, "Um, so, for real? Like the sun earth is warmed by? How? I mean, what the fuck?"

David sat down next to her, "I cannot explain all this, I only know what Felicia tells me, ok? Please trust her, know she would NEVER harm you, she's got your back, like I do!" Inara stared at David like he was nuts, "Wow, sometimes you scare me…" David chuckled, "That's the spirit!"

CHAPTER XVII

After that interesting ordeal, as Inara called it, she needed a much needed break and went to Scotland to visit an aunt, her aunt Diotta. She was rather mean and crude, but meant well. She sort of knew Inara's parents and kept to herself more than ever in these dark days since their death. She barely noticed David. Felicia stayed in car mode, which didn't impress Diotta much. She clucked her tongue, "What a dumb looking car! Did you pick that up at the local dealership, rent it or is it a wreck from the landfill?" Felicia snarled a little, upsetting Diotta, "What was that?" She merely shook her head and showed Inara some old photos of her parents, before she was born.

Inara pored through photo album after photo album. Her aunt did not believe in digital photos, said they were too easy to lose. Inara cried a little seeing her mom, who looked just like her, "Wow, I wish they were still alive, I miss them so badly!" David placed a hand on her shoulder, "Yeah, I know, I wish my parents were alive too…" He started to tear a little but held on for her sake and to keep from embarrassing her in front of her aunt. Inara stood up and looked at her aunt, "Are there any other photos?" Her aunt shrugged, "No, afraid not. You'd be best to forget your parents, they weren't very good to you, hell, they abandoned you, didn't you know?"

Inara snarled, "DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT ABOUT MY PARENTS, YOU FUCKING BITCH!" and came at her aunt with a knife she had in her pocket. Her aunt held her hands up, "What are you going to kill me, too? Typical brutal amazon. I even destroyed a treasure art collection you had inherited from them and several collectible dragon figurines. Those are childs' toys!" Inara wanted to claw her aunt's eyes out, but David held her back, "I think we better leave…"

CHAPTER XVIII

Their next stop was southern Hellanic Republic, near Albania, on the western border. The ocean was chilly this time of year, the sea gulls noisy as usual. Inara knelt near the port edge, "Wow, she can be a bitch huh?" Referring to her aunt, "I don't feel like traveling much, sorry…" David sat next to her, "Tis ok, she's misguided, she doesn't know what happened back then.." Inara hugged him, crying a little, "Thanks for keeping me from stabbing her, I wanted to so badly, but you stopped me…"

David patted her back, "Yeah, she might have more answers later, I can't say. You ready to move on? I know of a ship that might take us farther south. I heard about a group of pirates on the salty sea and I need a new direction in my life as well…" Inara chuckled, "You? really?" He winked, "Race you to the boat!" Inara ran after, "Hey, no fair!"

They got on the boat, with Felicia disguised as a tied down car, ever elegant with the star field crossing her surface. A confused sailor asked, "What kind of paintjob did you have put on this car? Never seen anything like it…" David chuckled a little, "It's a custom job, VERY expensive." The sailor shrugged his shoulders, "Kids and their hot rods…" and wandered away, muttering some more.

While on the ship, they surfed the web and she stumbled across another aunt, aunt Ashton. It had to be a nickname, but she knew about a legendary sniper from the African army who happened to fall down in combat and needed assistance. He was an elegant captain of his elite group and prided himself on bringing death ¼ of a mile at a time. Inara sighed, "He sounds hunky!" She read more and e-mailed her aunt, who provided a few links she could check up. An old myspace page came up, recently expired, the account closed, but the name "Eldarin" lingered in the software code. She puzzled "Eldarin? Why does that name sound familiar?" She did some more searching on Google V. 10.2 and found out his real name "Darin Hickey". She searched more thinking, "I have to find him, he's my true love!"


End file.
